A House Is Not A Home,A Home Is Where The Heart Is
by FMAlover555 i really like that
Summary: Very few people were meant to be alone, and Riza Hawkeye is not one of them- no matter what she says. She is running dangerously low on money, and what is all this commotion about who's living with who? Riza's living with her CO? No way, she'd never! Well, she is and it's going to get a hell of a lot more interesting. Eventual Royai. Rating may change
1. Chapter 1

** I have like, ten stories I'm in the middle of writing right now (Just fiddling with ideas), and so this is just a random idea I got while writing the essay on my state assessment. This was not planned or thought out, so it might not be very good. And I know Riza is very OOC, but I just like to call it "Riza's breaking point- you need to let it out sometime"**

* * *

The shrill ring of the phone rang out through the office of Central HQ, Colonel Mustang's unit. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye roughly picked up the phone on her desk.

Her day wasn't going well at all. Her dog had messed on the floor, then she stepped in it, she learned she was falling behind on her bills, and she found out some women weren't being so kind behind her back.

"Colonel Mustang's office, Lieutenant Hawkeye speaking, how may I help you?" she asked, her voice emotionless and cold.

"Yes, Miss Hawkeye, just whom I was looking for. It seems that you are very behind on your bills. Unacceptably so. If you cannot get the payment in by three o'clock today, we will have no choice but to expel your residence in this building," the snotty woman from behind the desk in her apartment building said.

The color drained from her face, and she suddenly grew angry.

"How much is the payment?" she asked, irked.

"Five million cenz. There's a late fee," the woman sneered.

All of a sudden, it was all too much. She couldn't take it anymore. The calm, cool and collected Riza Hawkeye… snapped.

"EXCUSE ME!" she snapped into the receiver, attracting the attention of Colonel Mustang and her subordinates.

"That is completely and totally RIDICULOUS! Tell me, is this late fee over FOUR MILLION CENZ? Because I remember when I started housing there the rent was only two thousand! I've only missed six months! If anything it should be around ONE MILLION cenz! How am I supposed to afford this on a military paycheck? Remember I may be a dog of the military, but I have basic needs as well. I need food, water and medicine. I will never be able to pay off this debt by three! It's twelve in the afternoon! Five million is barely what I have in my bank account!" Hawkeye yelled into the phone.

"Listen, I don't really care. Deal with the facts- pay up or get out," the woman taunted. "You're running out of time, _dog_."

The line went dead. She couldn't take it. Her world was crashing around her shoulders, and she couldn't hold the weight. Hawkeye no longer had a place to live. She no longer had enough money for anything. Tears started to drip out of her eyes.

Riza whimpered in utter defeat, and slammed the phone on the hook. She stared at the desk for a few seconds, and then violently threw all of the papers and folders on her desk onto the floor, leaving it scarily clear.

The men of the office stared at her in complete confusion and panic. They had never seen Hawkeye act so… groundlessly. And never, _ever_, had they seen Hawkeye cry. _Ever_.

"FUCK!" she shouted, slamming her fists on the empty desk.

Mustang, who had been watching her carefully, stood and took a step towards her.

"Hawkeye-" he started, but he didn't get to finish.

"DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, JUST PRETEND TO WORK IF SOMEONE GODDAMNED IMPORTANT WALKS IN, ALRIGHT! YOU KNOW WHAT? DON'T EVEN BOTHER! IT'S ALL OVER ANYWAY!" she shrieked, throwing her hands in the air.

Riza then ripped the hairclip out of her hair and threw it across the room and stormed out, slamming the door shut. The clip hit the wall, making a crack in the plaster. The men cringed.

"What was that?" Havoc asked, the cigarette falling from his mouth.

"Yeah," Breda said. "What's all over?"

"She was yelling something about money," Falman provided.

"I hope everything's okay," Furey worried.

"Furey, everything is obviously not _okay_," Havoc scolded.

Roy just stared at the door. He had known Hawkeye for almost twenty years, and she had _never_ acted like that. Something was very, very wrong.

"Men," Mustang barked. "Watch the office and do your work. That's an order."

And with that he left, running down the corridors of the building.

"Have you seen Lieutenant Hawkeye?" he asked everyone he passed. Some shook their heads; while others nodded sadly and pointed in the direction she went in. Roy soon found himself in front of her apartment door. He knocked tentatively.

"Hawkeye?"

There was no answer, but her heard some crashes on the other side. Roy worried that she was going to hurt herself. When you hold back strong emotions for years, you tend to break when something really bad happens, and then not know how to deal with it. He tried again.

"Riza."

There was another loud crash, and a muffled sob.

"Shit. That's it, I'm coming in."

Roy tried the door, and surprisingly enough, it was open. The place was a mess. Not the kind of mess you can tell has been there a while, but the kind of mess anyone could tell was made in the fits of panic and rage. There were shards of broken objects scattered across the room- shattered clips, splintered wood, crushed glass, and even the TV looked like she threw a hairbrush at it.

Mustang wandered around, trying to avoid stepping on anything broken, and found himself standing in her room. Hawkeye was huddled in the corner, her knees up to her chest and her head in her hands.

He walked over to her crouched form and kneeled down. Roy cautiously placed a hand on her back.

"Hawkeye," he said, lowering himself closer to her. When she didn't answer, he tried again. "Riza, what's wrong?"

She just shook her head, and tears dripped through her fingers.

"Riza, please tell me so I can help you," Roy pleaded.

Slowly, she lifted her head from her hands. Her tear streaked face held a look of pure confusion and sorrow.

"It's over. My life is crumbling. I-I have no money to pay for a place to live anymore. I can barely afford food every week, and now they're kicking me out of my home!" she cried, burying her face deeper in her hands than before.

Realization dawned on Roy. She had no one- he knew. Her measly paycheck was below minimum wage, and she was lucky to find something like this in the first place. The men at the office stayed in the barracks, but there were no empty rooms for permanent residence and then she'd have to room with some military officer. So he did the only thing he could.

"Pack your bags Lieutenant, because you're coming to stay with me."

* * *

**How was it? Good, bad- yes, no? 5 million cenz is like four thousand dollars or something. I converted it to yen.**


	2. Chapter 2

"With all due respect Colonel, sir, I don't think this is necessary. I can figure something else out," Riza said, flustered.

After yesterday's little outburst, Mustang has started running around, packing things in bags and carrying them out the door into a military issued car. At first she didn't say anything, but then it clicked in her head on what he was doing. He was taking her to stay with him- permanently. Or at least until she can start to afford well, everything.

Roy looked up from whatever he was doing and raised his eyebrow.

"You are my friend, Lieutenant. Let me help you. It's not like we haven't lived in the same house before."

It was true. For nearly six years they lived in the same house in the rooms across from each other, but that was when her father was alive and they were only teenagers. Now they were adults, and typically, when a man and a woman live together, they're more than just friends.

"But-" she started, but was cut off.

"Don't make me make it an order, Lieutenant."

Riza sighed in defeat. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this, but it didn't mean she was going to like it.

She took a moment to look around. The place was a mess. There were shards of broken objects scattered across the room, and her TV was shattered. Riza flushed as she remembered completely losing it. In front of so many people too!

It was embarrassing, baring that much emotion to others. Allowing them to see her so vulnerable, so weak. It was sickening, pathetic. She balled her hand in a fist, resisting the urge to punch the wall.

"You know, you should really release all that pent up emotion sometime. It'll help you in the long run."

Riza looked up to find her commanding officer holding a large suitcase. Frowning slightly, she took the bag and started placing the clothes from her closet inside.

"You know sir, some may call you a hypocrite."

Roy gave a small chuckle, but didn't respond. Riza continued packing, but couldn't help but sneak small glances at her superior officer.

* * *

Soon they were getting out of the elevator and walking across the lobby. He had insisted on carrying her bags, though there weren't many- only two. The coquette behind the desk glanced up from her nails and frowned.

The two officers were in their civvies, and the woman never realized that Mustang was her superior. The woman was obviously jealous, and for unknown reasons, Riza felt a surge of pride run through her. A small smile started to creep onto her face, but as soon as she felt it, she forced it back down. Now was not the time to be smirking at the local wenches.

"Bye, _dog_." She sneered. Riza sighed, but decided that she should get the last word _sometimes._ Besides, the bitch had it coming.

"Bye, _wanton. _I'll miss you less than I should." She deadpanned, not even glancing back to see the woman's shocked and slightly confused expression.

As Roy held the door open for her she could hear him chuckling softly to himself. When they started to drive away, he still looked thoroughly amused.

"Mind telling me what a wanton is?" he asked with an amused smirk.

"A sexually immoral woman."

He started to laugh.

"So you basically called her a whore?" he inquired between fits of laughter.

"Essentially."

He was still laughing when they pulled into his driveway.

* * *

Roy's house was amazing. It was by no means small, but it was small enough to be cozy. The brick walkway was clean and bright, even with the setting sun.

The inside was even better than the outside. It was messily clean, with books piled around the bookshelves like he ran out of room, and magazines littered the coffee tables. The main living room was a warm red with black furniture. What really shouldn't have surprised her but did anyway, was how many fireplaces he had.

There was one grand one as the center of the house, and there were also two more on opposite ends of the house. He had also said there was one in his room, but that was to be expected.

Roy lead her up the stairs and to the room across from his, dropping the bags in a rocking chair in the corner.

"There's no real heat in here, so it gets very cold in the winter. When it gets too cold you can come to my room and I'll sleep on the pull out bed in there. The bathroom is two doors down and the one next to it is the linen closet. Make yourself comfortable while I make dinner." He gave her a small smile before leaving the room and walking down the stairs.

Riza plopped down on the queen bed and looked around. It was a homely room and his scent lingered on the linens. She stood and started unpacking her things, committing the room to memory. She only left when the smells of chicken and rice wafted through the open door.

She wandered into the kitchen and saw Roy filling two plates with grilled chicken, white rice and peas and carrots. She never knew he cooked.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" she asked, wanting to help.

"Could you get the drinks? There are cups in the cupboard above the counter."

"Yes sir." She replied, retrieving two cups and opening the fridge. She frowned when she saw his beverage selection. "Colonel, do you have anything less… alcoholic?"

Roy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"'Fraid not," he said, giving an uneasy laugh.

Riza made a 'hmm' sound and took out a bottle of red wine. "This will do," she sighed.

Dinner was a bit tense, neither one knowing what to say. Riza was the first to speak.

"Colonel, sir, I would like to contribute and do something. It doesn't feel right just taking without giving anything in return."

Roy sighed but understood she felt a bit useless.

"How about every other day we each cook dinner while the other cleans up?"

"Deal," she agreed.

After the meal, Riza stood and collected the plates, bringing them to the sink and started to wash. At first she was quiet, but then she started to hum a sweet tune.

Roy watched from the table, smiling a bit at the scene. Maybe he could get used to her being here. Definitely.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning sun broke through the crimson curtains of Riza's new room, rousing her from an uneasy slumber. She never slept well anymore, not since she was in her mid-teens- not since the war.

As her eyes cracked open, she was momentarily disoriented, confused as to where she was. The memories flooded back, and she smiled a bit as she remembered sitting by the fire with a nice cup of tea.

Riza stood, making the bed as she rose from it. It was still early- only six-o-clock. Office hours started at eight, so she still had some time to go about her business.

Thinking she might actually get her superior officer to arrive at work on time, she dressed and tiptoed over to his room. Gently creaking the door open, she saw something that could make even the devil's heart melt.

Roy was curled up in the middle of a queen-sized bed, his ebony hair resting on his cheeks and falling in his eyes. His nose wriggled every now and then as his body shifted slightly, and as he moved his arm across his face, he uttered a noise similar to that of a kitten or a young child before placing it back on his side.

Smiling in a way she would never let anyone witness, she walked up to the bedside. Glancing around herself as if to check to make sure no one was watching, she slowly bent down and brushed his hair out of his eyes with her fingers. Roy emitted the same noise as before and smiled slightly. Maybe she could let him sleep a little longer.

Riza swiftly left the room and went about her typical morning routine. She brushed her teeth, put up her hair and made sure every part of her uniform was flawless. She may have even- maybe- put (a little) mascara on, just because she could- no other reason at all.

Checking the time, she saw that it was already seven. Hurrying downstairs, she made a breakfast of oatmeal, fondly remembering the times she made oatmeal for her and Roy as a young girl. While she let the food cool, she went upstairs to wake Roy.

He was in a slightly different position than before, his arms spread and wrapped tightly around a pillow. Riza walked to his bedside again, this time placing a hand on his shoulder. She gently started to shake him.

"Sir, it's time to get up," she cooed, much gentler than she cared to admit. When he only snuggled deeper into the covers, she shook him a little harder. "Sir, we have to get to work."

Gaining the same response as before, she decided on a different tactic. One she often used as a teen when she couldn't get her father's lazy apprentice out of bed.

Bending down so that she was close to his ear, she said:

"Mr. Mustang, if you don't get up right now, you won't get any breakfast."

Launching himself out of the bed, his forehead collided with hers. They both uttered a pitiful "oww" as they rubbed their sore heads.

"What the hell, Lieutenant?" he asked woefully. Plopping beside him on the bed, Riza replied.

"I didn't know you were going to jerk up like that, sir. I needed to get you up so we could eat and get to work. Be grateful I let you sleep this long!"

Still grumbling, Roy trudged down the stairs, Riza following close behind. He cheered up once he saw the food and was served coffee, but by the time he dressed and got in the car, he was still a pitiful excuse of a military man.

"Come on sir, up and at 'em," Riza joked dryly as she pulled out of the driveway.

The ride was quiet, partially due to the fact there wasn't really much to say, until the looks started. It was like a game. Riza would glance at Roy; he would pretend not to notice. Then, he would glance at her, and _she_ would pretend not to notice. At one point they lost all discretion, and started blatantly staring. When they pulled into HQ, Riza had to ask.

"Colonel, sir, why are you looking at me like that?"

He mumbled something incoherent and looked away. Riza quirked an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, you look really nice today," he mumbled a little louder. Then, "Why were _you_ staring at me like that, Lieutenant?"

It was now Riza's turn to mumble and look away. Roy smirked.

"What was that?"

"I said, you look _kind of_ nice in a military uniform. Emphasis on the "kind of"," she huffed, turning slightly pink and exited the car.

Still chuckling to himself, Roy exited the car as well, jogging a few feet to catch up. He always liked how he was the only one who could push her buttons like that.

* * *

The stares were starting to get a little uncomfortable. Okay, fine- they were a little uncomfortable this morning. _Now_ it's just downright intolerable.

"Excuse me men, but if you have something to say to me, I would suggest you spit it out now," she snapped coldly. Everyone jumped, including Mustang, who was, if fact, working.

"Did that include me?" he asked timidly. Riza sighed, but knew he didn't mean to aggravate her.

"No, sir. Get back to work."

Obediently, Roy did so. The men snickered. Havoc leant towards Breda.

"Man, one night and she's already got him whipped!" he whispered a little too loudly.

"What was that Havoc?" Riza barked.

Havoc gulped. He knew, from experience, that once you say something to Hawkeye, you can never take it back… so he tried to change it. After all, every man knew that when women ask you to repeat something, they're just daring you to say it again.

"Uh… uhrm… Us… men… were wondering why exactly, uh, you and the Colonel came to work together, and that he was… uhm… on time," he stuttered.

Just as she was about to reply, the door burst open.

"HEY ROY!" Maes cheered as he strolled into the room, raising is hand in a high wave.

"Maes," Roy muttered through grit teeth. "Come into my office."

Maes trailed in, not even fazed by his friend's harsh tone. Closing the door behind him, Maes saw something he thought he would never see. Roy was working. _Actually_ _working_.

"Alright," he started. "Who died?"

Roy grumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

Roy sighed deeply and looked up from his work. Averting his gaze, he looked everywhere in the room but at Maes.

"No one," he said. "I just don't want to go home to an angry woman."

Just as the words came out of his mouth, Roy regretted them. Mentally slapping himself, he went down the list of all the excuses he could have said besides the truth. He could have said his great-grandmother had died, or maybe the neighbor's cat, but not the truth!

Maes smiled devilishly.

"Oooh, a woman huh? Who is it- anyone I know?" he inquired mischievously.

"No, no Maes, it's not what you think! Uhg!" he growled and stood. "It's time for my lunch break."

Stalking out of the office, he passed Hawkeye's desk.

"Do you want anything? I'm going out for lunch."

"No, I have to go out anyway for groceries. Do you want anything specific?" she asked politely, almost smiling.

"Nah, I'll just go with you. How about now?" Roy said good- naturedly.

As she stood, she asked a seemingly normal question.

"What do you want for dinner?"

The men's jaws dropped to the floor. Why was Hawkeye asking Mustang what was for dinner? No one paid his response any attention as they huddled around each other.

"What the hell was that?" Havoc whispered harshly.

"I don't know. What is she doing asking him what he wants for dinner?" Furey asked.

"Hm…" Hughes hummed. "Roy did mention he didn't want to go home to an angry woman. I got it! Hawkeye's living with him!"

"What?" the men chimed together obviously not believing what was being said.

"No, it's true! Ooh this is wonderful! They're gonna make me a godfather!" he sang, twirling in a circle.

The men sweat-dropped, knowing this was going to be bad.

* * *

The supermarket was mostly empty as Roy and Riza readied to check out. Roy had been a mostly tolerable shopping partner, to Riza's great pleasure. He only argued on little things, and that was easily fixed.

"That will be seventy-nine ninety-nine," the clerk said. Riza paled slightly. Noticing her off color, Roy quickly pulled out his wallet and paid the woman.

"Come on, Riza," Roy said as he pushed the cart out of the store.

Riza jumped at the use of her first name, but followed him out of the store. As they finished putting the groceries in the trunk and entered the car, Riza looked to Roy.

"Thank you," she whispered, ashamed of her lack of money.

"It's no problem at all," he replied, noting her abashed expression.

No other words were said as they pulled into HQ, quickly getting back to work. They didn't mention her shortage of money, or how long she would possibly stay with him- no, they stayed quiet, preserving what dignity each of them had left.


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry it's been so long! I will definitely try to update sooner than this!**

* * *

A few weeks passed, and the news of Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye living together spread like wildfire. They were the topic of gossip and discussion. It was bothersome and annoying, and Riza was reaching her rope's end. And to top it all off, somewhere along the line, Roy started calling Riza by her first name when he wanted something. It wasn't all the time, nor very frequent, but when he did, it was always at the most inopportune times. Like at work.

"Riiizzzaaaa," he whined, plunking his head on his desk. "Make it stooooppp!"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, she looked over to him. He looked pathetic.

"Make what stop, sir?"

Riza never succumbed to her desire to call him 'Roy', no matter where they were. It was her way of keeping things from getting too personal, but despite all her efforts, things were about to get as personal as they got without sleeping together.

"Maes is calling me and sending me notes constantly! Make him stop!" he cried, a very unmanly noise.

"It is _not_ my job to call your friends, sir. Do it yourself," she sighed.

"But, but, but-" he protested pitifully.

"No 'but's," she commanded, making the men in the room wonder who was really the one in charge for the, well, hundredth time since they joined the team.

Just as Roy was about to start whining again, the door burst open, cracking against the wall. Everyone looked up to see Rebecca Catalina. She didn't look like herself.

She was no longer in her uniform, but a long black skirt that slit to her knee, her long auburn locks down and in spiraled curls instead of the common ponytail, along with a cream colored tank top and high heels. She looked like a _woman_ instead of a military officer. Havoc's nose started to bleed at the sight of the ample cleavage hinting at the dip in her top.

"Get a tissue, Havoc," Riza deadpanned. "We all know about your breast fetish but we don't want to see you acting like a dog in the heat. Do that on your own time."

Breda snickered and Furey blushed, while Falman only smiled slightly as Roy gave a proud smirk, even though he wasn't the one who thought of the line.

"Riza!" Rebecca cheered. "I got a few days off and decided to come see you! You'll let me crash at your place, right?"

Riza sweat-dropped. She didn't think her friend understood the concept of calling first. Turning to her boss, Riza cast a cautious glance at Rebecca before proceeding to ask a question that would surely surprise her friend to no end.

"Would that be alright, sir?" she asked. "I'm sure it will be no problem."

Roy smiled slightly, looking up from his work. There was warmth in his eyes that not many people saw, but it was certainly there.

"Of course, Lieutenant. What's mine is yours after all."

There was about ten seconds of absolute shocked silence before Rebecca started screaming.

"WHAT?!" she exploded, grabbing the lapels of Riza's uniform. "What's he talking about? Why the hell are you asking for his permission? Don't you still live in that fuck-up complex somewhere in the shady part of down town with the hobo on the street corner that always smells like smoke and day-old ham?!"

Somewhere in the middle of her rant Rebecca had started shaking poor Riza back and forth, nearly smashing their foreheads together once or twice.

"We… live… together…!" Riza clipped between shakes. The shaking ceased. Riza was then released from Rebecca's death grip, wobbling on her shaking legs before falling into her chair.

"H-HOW?!" Rebecca stuttered, moving to shake Havoc.

"Stop ya harpy! This is old news! Go check the fucking newspaper from a few weeks back! I'm sure there'll be some big announcement, with the big deal you're making of it." Havoc cried.

Not amused by his jokes, Rebecca released him as well, choosing to place herself gracefully in a chair beside Riza's desk, smirking.

She was going to have fun with this.

* * *

Riza sighed for the hundredth time that day. She loved her friend to no end, but that didn't mean she appreciated all of the questions getting thrown her way.

"How did this happen? Does he cook? Who cleans? Are you, like, _together_? Have you _slept_ together? Is he as good as they say he is? Rumor is he's _huge_! Did it even _fit_?"

The last part was whispered into her ear and Rebecca laughed at the light blush dusting Riza's cheeks. Now Riza _really _wanted to bang her head against the wood floor they were sitting on.

Roy had allowed her and Rebecca to leave early so that they could hang out, and Rebecca used every second. They went shopping, saw a movie and even ate at a nice restaurant before arriving at the house well after sunset.

Roy was already there, the remains of his dinner gone and when he saw the two women walk in the door, he had turned off whatever sport he was watching and politely gave them the living room for the night, his feet trudging up the large staircase somewhere around nine.

"_Goodnight,_ Rebecca," Riza huffed, hiding her face in the covers on the air mattress they shared. It was where the coffee table usually was, the table pushed against the TV stand, the ending credits of _Uptown Girls_ playing on the screen.

Smiling widely, Rebecca turned the TV off and rested next to her friend, lulling into a deep sleep and noting that her questions were never answered.

* * *

They slept for hours, Riza admittedly much more restless than her friend. As a result of her light slumber, she awoke with a start when she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and fumbling in the kitchen.

She turned her head cautiously, looking into the open doorway leading to the kitchen, surprised to see Roy, his head braced in his hands and his shoulders shaking.

She could hear his quiet sobs in the night, his shaking frame causing her heart to lurch and she stood, her feet pattering against the floors as she walked to him.

"… Colonel?" she asked quietly, feeling slightly hurt when he flinched, until she realized he must have been dreaming about the war, and that calling him by his rank, even if it wasn't his rank at the time, wasn't helping.

"Roy," she ventured cautiously. Gently, she touched his shoulder, her heart breaking a little more for him when he leaned into her touch and sobbed again.

Disregarding all terms of formality and barriers of Superior and Subordinate, Riza wrapped her arms around him, holding his head to her chest. His tears stained her shirt as she rocked him back and forth, and soon enough she, too, started to cry, knowing he horrors he had gone through- all the while remembering her own.

With her head bowed she started to sing a song lowly, one she remembered him singing to her the first time he ever saw her cry.

"_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine,_

_You make me happy when the skies are gray,_

_You'll never know, dear_

_How much I love you_

_So please don't take_

_My sunshine_

_Away…" _her voice broke somewhere in the middle, her emotions getting the best of her.

Soon he was quiet, his tears no longer flowing down his cheeks, and he was brought back to reality. He held her tighter, knowing very well that once they separated and went back out to their respective places, the moment would be shattered. She knew as well, allowing him to pull her closer and pulling his forehead to hers.

They stayed like that for the remainder of the night, unaware of the eyes that saw such a raw and private moment.

Rebecca closed her eyes, hoping to fall back into the slumber that was once in her grasp, knowing she would never forget the pained look in their eyes and the unspoken love that was held there. Maybe things would be okay.

She knew this was something they had to deal with-the laws, the gossip, the suffering and past scars.

And they would.

Together.


End file.
